Various devices have been developed for damping and recording voice sound waves. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,802 discloses an early design that essentially provides a cup-like structure for fitting over the user's mouth, with a microphone housed therein.
Similar devices have been used by court reporters. One such acoustic mask is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,624. This device has a cylindrical outer casing and a separate wall structure housed within the casing with a microphone mounted on this structure. The device includes a cylindrical air inhalation passageway extending outward from the face-masking structure for inhalation, with a diaphragm to restrict expulsion of air. One or more openings in the face-masking structure allow for exhaled air and sound to escape. The face-fitting part of the device is rubber and must be pressed to the user's face in order to reduce the amount of sound escaping to the ambient. The device is not designed to reduce leakage of ambient sound into the device, nor is it ergonomically designed. Further, there is no means for the user to hear the sound that they are producing in the device.
Another acoustic mask is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,754. The device includes a barrel with a bell-shaped back, the latter preferably being set at an angle with respect to the barrel. A microphone is positioned at the end of the barrel remote from the bell-shaped back. The barrel portion and a portion of the bell-shaped back are lined with foam urethane to muffle noise and absorb moisture. The reporting device includes orifices located at the junction between the bell-shaped back (face piece) and the barrel for permitting pressurized air within the device to escape to the outside via an air communication channel from inside the device to the outside. Again, the face piece is a soft pliable material that requires it be pressed against the user's face in order to reduce escape of the user's voice from within the device. Further, there is no means for the user to hear the sound that they are producing in the device.
In a related technology, U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,881 discloses a protective mask communication device including a housing constructed to be mounted on a protective mask. A microphone is located within the housing. The mask is contemplated to be a safety mask, such as that worn by firefighters. No attempts are made to restrict escape of sound into the ambient atmosphere or reduce ambient sound.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,243,944 discloses a handheld foldable voice-muffling device using passive noise damping materials to decrease noise and a single microphonic transceiver to transmit a user's speech and receive incoming signals allowing him to wirelessly communicate with another person or other communication devices. The deformable materials used in the device do not adequately muffle the sound of the user nor ambient sound. Further, the device must be pressed to the user's face in order for the deformable material to form to the user's face. This is uncomfortable for the user, but is necessary to reduce the escape of sound between the face piece and the user's face. The device is not designed to record sound with the microphone and transmit the sound simultaneously to each of an ear piece and a phone. This makes communication difficult as the user is not experiencing the normal sounds that one experiences during a conversation.
There is a need for a small voice attenuating device that provides very clear, high fidelity voice transmission simultaneously to both the user, by means of an ear piece, and to a wireless communication device such as a cell phone. Such a device would preferably overcome the challenges of recording or transmitting a user's voice while attenuating the sound of the user's voice. It would also preferably cancel or reduce ambient noise without the need for noise canceling microphones.